Drumming Song
by Gemimaa
Summary: Although Rose had never fully recovered from the events of Doomsday, she thought that it was in her past. However, there's a twist to her story...Love never dies. This is set in after series 2.DISCLAIMER: I do not own Doctor who or any of the characters.
1. Chapter 1

Drumming song

Prologue

_Rose_

I can feel him getting closer. In the deepest, darkest crevices of my mind is a beat. A continuous thread of beats: One. Two. Three. Four. It echoes through my mind into my body. The sound is familiar, personal, yet somehow distant. Forbidden.

I cannot ignore it. I cannot escape it. I know I must treasure it. I must treasure it as a widow treasures her lost lover's useless trinkets. It is so rare, powerless, useless to me, but at the same time it feels more important than any human on this earth could ever comprehend.

I know I must follow it, not in the literal sense: the owner of these beats is lost to me, a painful fact I must face. I must follow what is contained within the beats, the very essence of his soul: compassion, humility, Love.

In every action I take I am aware of the beats, their constancy and their patience. My actions reflect the essence of the beats: the soul of their owner. But, within my heart is a painful, gaping hole. The beats numb the pain, but do not erase it.

I am forever broken. The only one who could fix me is lost to me. He cannot return and I cannot leave. I am one half of a whole, like the night with no dawn, dark and lost, forever roaming and searching for the light, but the mere remembrance of the light is blinding and painful.

The beats weren't always there. It was quiet to begin with. Normal. Well, more so than now. When the beats came they were quiet at first. I had to listen hard and block out the present, the pain. They felt like fragile bursts of life to my soul. With each beat they grew stronger and so did I. But I soon realised that however large my good deeds were, however hugely my actions were affected by the beats, however much happiness they brought, that they were wrong.

The beats are his hearts. I don't think he is aware I can hear them. But I do know that it means his time is ending. His death is imminent, awaiting one last final mistake before he is lost forever. I cannot let this happen. I will find a way. I will cross the worlds: the boundaries that separate us. Somehow I will find you, I will save you, if it's the last thing I do.

Your hearts, your life, your soul are in my hands, literally.


	2. Chapter 2

Part 1

His hearts were hammering against his chest. Small beads of water rose on the surface of his skin, like condensation on a window. His hair stood on end, in its usual dishevelled look, strands reaching across his forehead. A grimace was painted across his face, an unfamiliar expression. Deep within his eyes was great torment and suffering, at the root of which was his soul.

He stood supported by the red-brick wall of a tall building behind him. He wore a navy pinstripe suit with a light blue shirt underneath. Raising his hand to his throat, he loosened the burgundy tie at his neck. His breathing was becoming more regular and the beat of his hearts returned to their regular pace.

He was standing in an alley way of sorts, sandwiched between two tall red-brick buildings with large school-type, white-rimmed windows spaced at regular intervals along the walls. To his left he could see the deserted road where he had just come from. He knew that the quickest way back to the TARDIS would be along that route. But, uncertain of the dangers that lurked there and unwilling to push his luck too far for one day, he opted for the longer route.

He turned then, walking fast through the musky alley, determined to reach the TARDIS without further trouble. With his eyes roaming over his surroundings and his feet keeping a regular beat against the pavement, he let his mind wander to the events which had taken place today.

He had been travelling on his own for some time now; since Donna had declined the offer to join him he had spent his time wandering the universe aimlessly. Today had started like any other: an adventure, a new place everyday, although he was careful not to return anywhere in time and space which he had travelled to with his former companions. He justified this to himself by claiming that his thirst for new adventures everyday meant there was no point in visiting the same place twice. However, deep within his heart he knew that the true reason he avoided Earth and those other places was that is was too painful. People think the real burden of being a Time Lord is the inability to change past events, to have to watch people die whilst knowing you have the power to save them. But, the true agony of the Doctor's situation is the memories. The memories he has to carry around forever. The memories of what had been.

Lonely, and with only his ship for company the Doctor spun the dials, turned the knobs and let himself be brought to wherever the TARDIS desired. After a rather bumpy ride that lasted all of 2 minutes, it came to a standstill. Curious as to where he had been brought, the Doctor moved quickly to the door. Opening the door wide he breathed in his new surroundings, soaking up every tiny detail. From the huge metal machines piled on top of one another in the small space, to the overwhelmingly floral smell of detergent emanating from the white-washed walls, he realised he was in a Laundry room.

**I am so sorry it has taken me so long to update. I know this chapter is not the most thrilling, but please bear with me and please review- criticism is welcomed (as long as it's constructive). **

**Also, the title of this fic is based on a song by Florence and the Machine, which gave me the inspiration to write this fic.**


End file.
